Mr. Cook deftly stepped aside of questions about Apple Watch, while keeping plans for TV and electric cars close to his vest. But he did drop a new number: 15 million. That’s how many people are using Apple Music, he said. Of that number, 6.5 million are paying subscribers. The numbers suggest nearly 60% of people who initially signed up for the streaming music service decided to pay when the free trial ended.

On Relationships With Artists

The new Apple TV will start shipping in October, Mr. Cook said. He called the streaming box a “foundation” for changing the TV-viewing experience, and that the days of sifting through channels are coming to an end. His comments suggest there is more to come. “The starting gun has been fired.”

Apple TV I the Future of TV

Journal editor Gerard Baker wasn’t subtle when he steered the conversation to cars. “Did you have too much to drink?” Mr. Cook jokingly asked. Mr. Cook didn’t say whether Apple was building an electric car, but he was frank about what’s coming for the auto industry: “massive change.” Software is increasingly important, he said. Down the road, “you see that autonomous driving becomes much more important.”

On the Future of Cars

Apple stresses that it collects as little data about its users as possible. (Competitors like Google, meanwhile, fine tune customers’ experiences based on the data they collect.) Mr. Cook was adamant that doubling down on privacy doesn’t degrade its users’ experiences. “No one should have to decide privacy or security,” Mr. Cook said. “We should be smart enough to do both.” That led to an intense exchange with Mr. Baker about privacy and national security. Don’t assume a “back door” is the only way to have security, the Apple chief said.

On Apple Products in Customers

Messrs. Cook and Baker carved out a piece of the interview to talk about human-rights issues. “Each generation struggles with treating other people with basic respect. It’s so bizarre,” Mr. Cook said. He said there are many issues Apple can focus on, such as the environment and education. Mr. Baker asked whether Apple was worried its stances on human rights would alienate customers. No, Mr. Cook said. “The government isn’t working that well. When there is a stalemate, businesses have even more responsibility,” he said.

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